Jacksonville State enters season loaded with talent on offense

Friday

Aug 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMAug 3, 2012 at 11:04 PM

And, as usual, the underlying theme of Jacksonville State’s media day Friday afternoon was elevated expectations.

By Nick JohnstonTimes Sports Writer

JACKSONVILLE — There was talk of ambition, credibility and accountability. And, as usual, the underlying theme of Jacksonville State’s media day Friday afternoon was elevated expectations.“I think tradition pretty much says what the expectations are,” JSU coach Jack Crowe said. “I don’t have to create them.”Crowe and a handful of players took turns answering questions at the annual event. While overall the Gamecocks are a youthful bunch, the defending Ohio Valley Conference co-champs’ roster is filled with “some of the strongest strongs,” according to Crowe.“I think there’s more talent on this campus right now than we’ve ever had,” said Crowe, who is entering his 13th year with the Gamecocks. “There are always hurdles and challenges with any football team. This one has its own, (but) there are some of the best opportunities to develop than we’ve ever had. There are very talented guys, and I just want to see how their talent evolves.”There are some holes to fill, primarily on defense. The Gamecocks lost five of their top six tacklers from a year ago. Crowe thinks — and certainly hopes — that unit will jell in time for a run to the OVC title. The defense will be thrown into the fire the first week of the season against Arkansas’ explosive offense.“It’s going to take a lot of ambition for this defense to roll out there against probably the best offensive team in the country at the University of Arkansas,” Crowe said.But for all the concerns Crowe might have about his defense, he sounded confident in a Gamecock offense full of playmakers.Starting quarterback Marques Ivory returns for another season after receiving a medical redshirt last year. The senior suffered a broken leg in the first game of the year in 2011 after starting all 12 of JSU’s games in 2010. His rehab has progressed nicely and he should be ready for the season opener.Coty Blanchard, 2009’s Mr. Football for the state of Alabama after leading Cherokee County to a Class 4A state championship, also is considered a starting quarterback by Crowe. After all, the junior led the Gamecocks to a share of the OVC crown last season. Blanchard, a two-sport star at JSU, is playing baseball in the Cape Cod League for the Falmouth Commodores. He should rejoin the team in the middle part of this month and will see time under center against Arkansas.“I already know how it’s going to start. I never know how it’s going to finish,” Crowe said of how he will handle his two-quarterback situation. “(Blanchard) is going in on the third series. Whatever’s going on and what they do will determine what I do.”One thing both quarterbacks will be doing is handing the ball off to senior running back Washaun Ealey. The 2012 Preseason All-OVC Team selection transferred from Georgia last year and made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,082 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games. He was a first-team All-OVC pick after the 2011 season while dealing with the added pressure of being a high-profile transfer.“I felt like I was under a microscope,” Ealey said Friday. “Everyone is under a microscope when they play football and they have a lot of fans. There’s so much you can do, and so much you can’t do.”There’s no questioning Ealey is the top playmaker on the team, but a young star has emerged at running back in the form of Troymaine Pope. The incoming freshman had a spectacular career at Anniston High School and was the Class 4A Back of the Year in 2011. As a senior at Anniston, Pope rushed for 2,539 yards and 31 touchdowns. Crowe had high praise for the 5-foot-9, 198-pound speedster.“He’s created a buzz with the older players from the time he walked in the door,” said Crowe, referring to Pope as “Buster.” “Players know players, and I’ll take that buzz to mean something.”Ealey has become somewhat of a mentor to Pope. A role that is a “great challenge” for him.“He’s very competitive,” Ealey said of Pope. “He’s the type of guy, if he sees me doing something he’s going to try to do it better than me to make himself better. That’s what he told me during the recruiting process, that he just wanted to come here and learn from an older back. It’s a great thing to have him come here and just have him under my wing and teach him a lot he don’t know.”Added Crowe, “The best thing for Buster is having Washaun here.”The best outside threat for the Gamecocks is wide receiver Alan Bonner. After leading the team in receptions in 2011, Bonner returns for his senior year as part of Crowe’s “triplet” philosophy.“We got Marques back, the leader of this football team,” Crowe said. “Along with him, offensively you look for a triplet situation where you have a runner, a thrower and a catcher. You have in Washaun Ealey a premier runner. You have in Alan Bonner a premier receiver. That becomes the foundation of saying, well, we can make plays. We can make plays behind the line of scrimmage, down the field and you have a quarterback that can get it done.”The offensive line should be a strong suit, too. The Gamecocks have two seniors across the front, including Odie Rush and Teri Mobley. Rush would have been one of JSU’s top lineman last season except for a season-ending injury in practice, while Mobley was named to the 2012 Preseason All-OVC Team. Add three sophomores to the mix who started about 80 percent of the games last season as freshman and there’s no reason to doubt the offense could be hard for opposing defenses to handle in 2012.But with high expectations entering the season, a tough schedule could mean a big disappointment by season’s end. JSU opens with Arkansas, plays perennial Southern Conference power UT-Chattanooga and finishes the season with a trip to the Swamp against Florida. Plus, the OVC promises to be as tough as it ever has been.“This is the toughest schedule this school’s ever played,” Crowe said. “In my opinion, it’s probably the toughest schedule in the FCS and probably the toughest schedule ever played in OVC. I’m no authority, but that’s my opinion.“That’s who we got, that’s who we’re playing against and we will start the process, hope we get lucky and stay optimistic all the way through the season.”

Online Services

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Gadsden Times ~ 401 Locust St. Gadsden, AL 35901, Gadsden, AL 35901 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service